Each farm and piece of land has unique challenges for farmers to manage. Advancements in farm technology help monitor many aspects of agriculture, from seed genetics and pest monitoring to precision applications and aerial mapping. However, a big piece of the technology puzzle lies where farmers may not be able to see it: directly below their feet.
As a leader in crop nutrition, The Mosaic Company knows that a successful crop is tied to the health of the soil. Because fertility accounts for up to 60% of a crop’s yield, Mosaic is committed to expanding agronomic expertise to others in the field. As science continues to advance, the crop nutrition experts at Mosaic are also advancing their understanding of how plants interact with the soil. Looking at this interaction as an entire agronomic ecosystem is the next frontier for agriculture — and where untapped potential for increased soil health and crop yields exist.
Advanced crop nutrition is an approach that capitalizes on the potential of this new frontier. Crop production is moving in a direction that takes a closer look at the critical intersection between plants, soil and the microbiome, and then applying management practices, tools and technologies to magnify the capability of that ecosystem. Advanced crop nutrition can maximize soil potential, season-long nutrient availability, crop yields and farm sustainability. Farmers and their crop’s potential will flourish with the right products to support the interaction between the plants and soil, and the practices to unleash the power of this ecosystem.
In addition to using performance fertilizers to ensure balanced nutrition is available all season, adding a biological fertilizer complement will support the microbiome and increase nutrient availability. This will result in healthy soil that supports increased long-term crop performance.
The Technological Innovation Behind Advanced Crop Nutrition
Putting advanced crop nutrition into practice starts with knowing the evolving science. Mosaic continues to uncover and analyze the connection of soil biology (the microbiome), chemistry (the fertilizer added or nutrients existing in the soil) and plant physiology. This coexistence is innovative on its own, but Mosaic is seeking to do more. It begins with understanding which bacteria in the soil are the “good” bacteria that support and enhance the soil and plants. These bacteria feed off the sugars that plants excrete into the soil, then grow and colonize around the plant roots. As they colonize, they digest the nutrients in the soil, breaking them down to a form that plant roots can more easily access.
To support these bacteria, Mosaic has a line of biological fertilizer complements that are applied with either liquid or granular fertilizer. These complementary products maximize the potential of the plant-soil-bacteria ecosystem. For decades, biological manufacturers have touted the benefits of using these products to manage pests or diseases, or even enhance plant performance. But Mosaic is focused on how biologicals can help feed the plants from within.
Mosaic’s performance fertilizer products, like MicroEssentials®, are designed to provide the crop with balanced crop nutrition throughout the growing season to maximize performance. Combined with Mosaic biological fertilizer complements, retailers and growers can maximize nutrient availability, uptake and utilization. This ensures that each crop has the nutrients it needs when it needs them and can more efficiently use nutrients added to the soil to achieve peak potential. This innovative approach and product technology puts the promise of advanced crop nutrition into practice.
Mosaic Resources at Your Fingertips
Mosaic understands that agronomy can be complicated but recognizes how important it is to get the best science into the hands of farmers so they can advance crop yield and quality. With tools and support from the experts at Mosaic, retailers have access to the knowledge behind advanced crop nutrition, as well as the best practices to maximize results and returns on fertilizer investments.
The experts at Mosaic are committed to advancing crop nutrition knowledge and management practices to deliver crop production results that move agriculture forward in a sustainable manner. With continued research and investment, they will share the latest information to help the industry continue to better understand the synergies that exist between the plant, soil and microbiome, and how best to maximize results in this ecosystem.
The mix of science, technology and innovation is the next frontier in crop nutrition, and Mosaic is bringing it all together with advanced crop nutrition. It’s just the beginning. Together, agriculture can optimize the relationships under our feet and move our industry forward.